Says one educator in North Dakota: “The lessons are life-saving.”
By Kristin Clark Taylor
The Perfect Fit
Sue Emery is not afraid to strike out in new directions.
Her amazing career trajectory as an elementary educator is proof.
After spending more than three decades as a classroom teacher in the Fargo Public Schools, she says she began to feel the need to try something different.
So Sue switched paths.
Today, she’s an elementary health teacher in Fargo—a “traveling teacher” who visits 63 classrooms in five different buildings over the course of each ten-day rotation.
“I loved my career in the classroom,” she readily concedes, “but now that I’m teaching students about healthy habits, accident prevention, and responsible decision-making, I can’t think of anything more important I should be doing.”
That’s not the only thing that’s changed in Emery’s life.
When she became a traveling teacher, she also began using QuaverHealth for the first time, which she happily describes as “the perfect fit.”
Sue says, “When I take these lessons into my schools, I know that I am sharing information that gives my students power for the rest of their lives.”
The veteran educator says she strongly believes that knowledge is power, “and there’s nothing more powerful than equipping students with the tools they need to live healthy, happy lives,” she says.
“QuaverHealth creates lessons that are life-saving, and I’m really proud to be using this as my primary resource.”
Says Emery: “The songs, lessons, and discussion points keep my students curious and involved. The material is very relatable, so they feel like they have a safe space for open discussion.”
With so many moving parts to her job as a traveling educator, Emery is also pleased with QuaverHealth’s transportability and consistency, as are her colleagues who share similar rotations and mobility requirements.
“We’re all using the same pacing guide and the same lessons for each rotation, so the across-the-board consistency that the curriculum provides is very important,” she says. “It allows all of us to teach the same material.”
She pauses briefly before adding a happy addendum:
“Teaching QuaverHealth is as much fun as learning it!”
Proof positive that this classroom resource is “the perfect fit” for educators and students alike.
No Other Resource Like It
Though other health curricula exist in elementary education, QuaverHealth is singularly unique and unparalleled in its offerings.
The lessons include interactive videos, engaging movement, songs, games, discussion points, assessments, and much more.
The activities are carefully reviewed and approved by medical and health professionals, and the content is built for all teachers, from the inexperienced to the most seasoned veterans.
Teaching modules explore topics like nutrition, responsible decision-making, mental health and wellness, disease and illness prevention, and safety and accident prevention.
Using QuaverHealth, elementary health educators can create and customize new lessons using over 3,600 instructional resources, ensuring adaptability and flexibility.
The Beauty of Balance
When it comes to teaching health-related lessons that are potentially controversial and/or sensitive, Emery says she’s grateful to have a resource that allows her to navigate with objectivity and balance.
“I always try to be careful and ‘politically correct’ when I’m teaching potentially controversial topics,” she confides.
This is precisely where QuaverHealth comes in handy, yet again.
“I know I can always turn to QuaverHealth to provide a roadmap on how to approach certain subjects appropriately, and without judgment.”
She points to the topic of vaccines as an example.
Emery says she takes a factual, evidence-based approach to teaching important subjects like this and is deeply impressed that the QuaverHealth curriculum is equally intentional about taking a similar approach.
“What it means is that our teaching philosophies are very, very closely aligned,” she says. “Having a classroom resource like this is just what we need.”
For Emery, the fact that the curriculum is also “fresh, fun, and exciting” is icing on the cake. (Okay, let’s go with “celery stick” instead of “cake” as the healthier metaphor.)
Emery also explains that her daughter, a pediatric pharmacist, is always excited to receive updates from her mom on how she’s using this innovative new curriculum in her classroom.
“My daughter’s obviously well-trained in health-related subjects that affect our youth,” says Emery with pride, “and believe me — she’s just as excited as my students are about this wonderful resource!”
Ready to bring this fresh, fun, fact-based resource into your school?
Go to QuaverEd.com/Health to make it happen!
Kristin Clark Taylor is an author and a journalist.
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